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Jan
08

Your daily success ritual

By | Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Spirits, Marketing Calendar, Success

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Every successful person has one.

Every great athlete swears by one.

…but peek inside the average day of those who struggle with success, money or confidence, and this almost always missing.

I’m talking about a daily ritual.

You need one or more of them.

One of the best ones you should develop is your morning ritual.

How you kick your day off right.

…it determines how the rest of your day goes.

And it sets you up for success in whatever you want.

When you roll out of bed in the morning, the first thing you determines how the rest of your day may go.

Do you check email? It means email is your main priority for the day, and you are setting yourself up to be a slave to the inbox.

Do you watch the local news? It means you are letting newscasters set your mood for the day (and it usually will be a negative mood, rarely are there good things discussed on the news).

But…

If you start your day out with a success ritual… amazing things can and will happen.

You have to try different ones to see which ritual gets you best results…. and you have to give each new test an honest chance before trying something new.

Here is my morning ritual, that I stick to religiously.

1) Wake (I am a night owl so I wake later ~7 am)
2) 30 minute brisk walk with my dog (fast walk that breaks a sweat)
3) While walking, listening to training audios on one area of interest.
4) Return home, walk my daughters to school.
5) Back home, I have a cup of coffee and make my daily smoothy (Mucuna puriens, Maca, protein, coconut oil, himalayan salt, astralagus, reishi powder, incan berry, banana or apple, and some type of liquid like milk, apple juice, etc)
6) Shower
7) Office

This sets me up for the right kind of day.

I feel great, I am alert and raring to go, and I get started with my writing (tracking in 15 minute increments how much focused writing I am doing that day.

A big thing for me is focused writing time so I am constantly looking for ways to eliminate meetings, phone calls, surfing and wasting time on social media sites – writing is my business so I need to do as much of it as possible).

Your ritual may be different, or you may need to start working on one.

There is no better time than right now to get this started.

One other ritual I highly recommend you develop is a marketing ritual.

…what are you doing each and every day to market yourself?

Set a schedule in advance.

Stick to it.

Weekly themes.

Monthly marketing themes.

Content development every day.

The Cash Flow Calendar http://www.cashflowcalendars.com helps you get a regular marketing system in place and will consistently grow your business month after month.

Set up your success ritual today, and stick to it for a month before trying a new one (if you honestly feel the one you set up didn’t make a difference in your life and business).

I would love to hear what your ritual is… please share it below in the comments.

To a great year ahead!

Troy

Small business marketing plan and promotional calendar

2012 Cash Flow Calendar and Marketing Plan

PS: I mentioned regular content development above… and a daily 20-30 minute writing comitment is THE BEST THING you can do to build your business. The Cash Flow Calendar gives you something to write about each day, and it comes complete with my 31k kick-start writing program which gives you step-by-step directions and inspiration on what to write about for your first 30 days. You can get started here http://www.cashflowcalendars.com

Nov
22

Marketing and Success Secrets of the Amish

By | Affluent buyers, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Spirits, Main Content, Success

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Sawdust in their blood, and Amish furniture in their shop (tales from Amish Country)

I recently had the privilege to spend a few days in Arcola, Illinois. True Amish country there.

…Marketing geeks like me would appreciate why I was so excited to go there!

Story fodder galore!

The truth on why I was there is that I do some marketing for a few Simply Amish (http://www.simplyamish.com) franchisees in Canada.

They make exceptionally well-built, hand-crafted furniture with a lifetime guarantee.

And seeing the actual Amish Craftsmen build the furniture in their shops was not only an eye opener, it was a necessity for a real understanding of their differentiators in the marketplace.

[-------NOTE------]

No matter what types of products or services you sell, getting inside the design and manufacturing process is where some great marketing breakthroughs can happen. It happened to Claude Hopkins when he wrote the now-famous Schlitz Beer long copy ads. He found out their manufacturing process involved a couple steps that not one of their competitors had ever spoken of… and used that idea to lift them up from the bottom of the top 10 to the top in just a few short months.

If your products are built or manufactured – go spend some time in the factory and ask questions of the engineers, designers and builders.

Get inside their heads on what makes this product superior, in their eyes.

Find some interesting tidbits that you can use to create some exceptional stories to use in all your marketing or advertising efforts.

If it is a service you provide… do the same but lay out on paper all the details that go into your delivery of the service.

Why is it done that way?

Was it always done that way?

What do you do different or better than the others in your field?

Dig deep and you will find some great USPs to use

[-------/NOTE-------]

Fortunately for me, I not only got to ride in a horse drawn buggy with them, I got to spend a full day touring their different workshops, and I got to eat with them during a mega-feast they prepared (chicken, tons of veggies, potatoes, ham, 5 different kinds of homemade pie… feast was an understatement!).

It was a very educational trip!

I thought you might be interested in some of the things I learned from the Amish while I was there.

Most people have no clue on what the Amish people or lifestyle is like.

I was no different.Amish marketing secrets

Some interesting facts:

* Each workshop has a specialty and each farm has a workshop.  So one workshop specializes in dining room tables, the other in beds, the other in dressers.

* There is no electric power running from the main power grid into their farms (they do not believe in plugging into the grid).

* The workshops are powered, heated or cooled, by either Geothermal, Wind, solar, or diesel generators.

Amish communities do not pay social security tax – but can collect it (they choose not to)

* Divorce not allowed – if it is a bad one and cannot be resolved by the husband, wife or family members – divorce is allowed but the person in the divorce who is in the wrong is shunned from the community – never allowed back

* Church wagon moves around from Amish farm house to farm house every Sunday. In the wagon are a dozen or more solid wood benches that are used for church service. Each Sunday the church wagon moves to  a new home

* The community loans $ to newly weds to get started in their homestead and business.

* The Amish LOVE their sweets! Cookies, cakes, pies… you name it.

* As the community I was in became more prosperous with their furniture businesses taking off… they slowed down on traditional food prep… opting for grocery stores instead (especially in the winters)

* Some of them use cell phones and drive vehicles for work purposes – but as soon as work ends, they resume traditional Amish ways.

* Simply Amish Furniture collections are named after their kids, nieces and nephews – the child gets their own branded furniture in their bedroom

* 4500 in the Arcola Amish community there

* They will have 400 people at wedding, which takes place on some of the farms

* The craftsmen rely on marketing – no marketing – no furniture to build (and the recession did slow them down a bit)

* Growing up building furniture gives a huge advantage in designed new types of furniture

* At age 16 they can choose to continue living in Amish Tradition or not.  Their choice can never be undone.  But if they choose to leave and not practice traditional Amish customs… they can still play and work with those that are in the community. But if they ever decided to stay in the community at 16 and then later want to leave… they are permanently shunned from the community.

 

What does it mean to you?

It means that each and every one of us needs to show our pride more.

To give our prospects and clients a GREAT story they can tell their friends and family.

To show them WHY you are the only one they should be considering, because we offer _______, which no one else does.

It also means that if you are looking for quality furniture that is guaranteed for life (much like my buddies at Saddleback Leather with their 100 year guarantee)…then Simply Amish is your place to be (http://www.simplyamish.com).

If you are in Alberta or British Columbia and interested in having hand made office furniture, dining room furniture, or living room furniture made… let me know and I can introduce you.

Last – it means that even in turbulent economic times like this, people ARE spending money on higher quality and higher priced goods like this.

Simply Amish is growing rapidly right now (425 franchises so far in Canada and the US).

They rarely do discounts (despite all the Groupons of the world)… and they never worry about price shoppers.

They focus on quality product, customized to the buyers, and a guarantee that provides decades of security for them and their family.

[-------NOTE-------]

Some other notable quotes I heard (or things that happened) while there…

* After our Amish feast,  the teenage boys loaded up the buggies with batteries, lights and gear and all rode over to their favorite field for a 3 hour game of baseball.  They used the car batteries and lights to light up their baseball field.

* Headline I wrote down: Amish Bike-riding Road Hogs! When they are riding their bicycles to and from work, or to the store, they OWN the roads. They don’t move over for cars – and they gladly slow you down.

* A caravan of cars in Arcola, Illinois means that there is either a Simpy Amish annual conference or a funeral

* There was the Story of Belle… The Amish Pug who narrowly escaped death by horse and buggy right in front of my eyes (we all thought the little one was under the wheels of the buggy we were in!)

[-------/NOTE-------]

Hope you enjoyed the Amish visit as much as I did!

Troy

PS: If you are stuck for ideas on what exactly you could writer about, blog about, or wrap a promotion around, the 2012 Cash Flow Calendar (http://www.cashflowcalendars.com) is the IDEAL blueprint for you!  Every day of the year you are given templates and copy / paste templates you can use.  Have a peek and let me know your thoughts. Troy

Nov
21

A desperate plea for help from Ralph Klein

By | calgary, Success

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Freeloaders and entitlement mooches

A plea to bring Ralph Klein back…

Ralph Klein – the best leader we ever had

First, a warning: I am as anti-occupy movement as it gets and this post will offend you if you support them.

Here’s why.

The occupiers seem to have these two beliefs right now: “My rights trump yours.” and “The laws don’t apply to me”.

They are above the law and Calgary’s present day WIMP of a Mayor is seeing to it that they can continue to laugh in the face of those who pay taxes and who funded their “campground” they have taken over.

I want Ralph to step in.

Ralph Klein is a notorious retired politician from Alberta.

Ralph Klein - we need your help

Ralph Klein - the best leader we ever had

Those who believe in the value of hard work, entrepreneurial drive, and the ability to actually do something useful to get something in return know and love Ralph.

He started out as a reporter here in Calgary, was elected to mayor of our city for 9 years, and then ultimately as premier of our province.

It was a sad day when he retired.

I desperately want Ralph to not only take simultaneous leadership positions in Calgary and Alberta (impossible, I know), but I want him to be the prime minister of Canada right now!

Why?

Because I am sick and flipping tired of the occupy movement and the weak minded wimps we have in leadership right.

The Morons that refuse to kick the occupiers out…ya, those ones.

If we can get Ralph back in charge, here is how he would deal with this.

Step one – Ralph issues a 24 hour eviction notice to protesters. The notice is clear – be out within 24 hours or you will be physically removed, charged with a list of criminal offenses, and put in jail.

No exceptions.

Step two – 20 hours before the deadline. Loud speakers and meghones would be setup up amidst the tents and guarded by armed guards.  Anyone trying to touch or control the equipment would be arrested on the spot.  Then, the announcements would begin.  At 170 decibels, the speaker (preferably Ralph) would begin the 12 hour lecture on all the opportunities and jobs fellow Calgarians, Albertans, and Canadians have at their disposal.

The protestors claim to be doing this for a cause – “bullshit”, Ralph would say (and most of the tax payers out there would nod their heads in agreement).

If you have a cause – speak it – but don’t camp out on tax payers land – that is called illegal squatting.

Step three – Ralph would then have all of their tents hosed down with water 2 hours before eviction time – minus 30 weather or NOT.  This is tax payer land and we are getting ready for winter – water hoses need to be drained.

Step four – Eviction time!  An armed force would take over the tents.  Carrying protestors out by their limbs if needed. Every. Single. One.  Gone – off to be booked with a number of charges – equally.  They weaned equal rights – they get equal treatment.

Step five – reclaim the tax payer funded park and ensure that every single protester knows there is zero tolerance for more nonsense. No more tents allowed. Protesters can do their thing during regular hours – but the tax payers will not fund their ‘campground antics’ any more.

Step six – see to it that every protester who causes grief is quickly removed, booked, and thrown in jail.

THIS is what the once great Ralph Klein would do… …instead of the fairy dance our present mayor is doing around the issue.

24 hours and this nonsense would end.

Mayor Nenshi has turned out to be the wimpiest of them all.

Preferring to hiding behind lawyers than doing anything that required an ounce of testicular fortitude.

RALPH! WE NEED YOU BROTHER!

We realize your health is not ideal right now – but we REALLY need you back!

Doing what a real politician SHOULD do – lead, take charge, and stand up for the tax payers rights (the same tax payers who pay your flipping salary Nenshi).

No more hiding – no more excuses – get this stopped.

We are all sick of it and only Ralph has the balls to actually do something about it in Calagary.

Please Ralph….come back!

My thoughts anyhow…

Troy

PS: To get a good feel for why Ralph was so popular amongst many people, here are some of his most famous quotes (Edmonton Sun)

“Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ralph’s World.” — A grinning Klein addresses supporters following a landslide victory for his Conservative Party in the 2001 provincial election.

“I guess any self-respecting rancher would have shot, shovelled and shut up, but he didn’t do that. Instead he took it to an abattoir.” — Klein speaking about the discovery of mad cow disease in Alberta at the Western Governors’ Association annual meeting in Big Sky, Montana in Sept. 2003.

“Randy Lawrence ran up on stage where we were all seated … and gave us all the finger. So I gave him the finger back.” — Klein, while the province’s environment minister in 1990, discusses flipping the bird to an environmentalist while on stage.

“There were a lot of people coming here without skills, without opportunities to get jobs and they turned to robbing banks. If you think that is right from a social point of view, then your social conscience is a lot different from mine.” — While still Calgary’s mayor in 1982, Klein defends his famed tirade against “bums and creeps” from Eastern Canada coming to Calgary and committing crime.

“I don’t think the party members were quite satisfied with the length of time I wanted to stay on. They wanted to expedite my departure — (my) having announced that I was going to depart.” — Klein in 2006 on stepping down early as premier after garnering only 55% support in a party vote.

“I wasn’t surprised that she crossed over to the Liberals. I don’t think she ever did have a Conservative bone in her body. Well, maybe one. — Speaking at a charity roast in 2006, Klein comments on MP Belinda Stronach — who used to date fellow Tory MP Peter McKay — crossing the floor to join the Liberal Party.

“A fine city with too many socialists and mosquitoes. At least you can spray the mosquitoes.” — Klein offers an opinion about Edmonton in 1990 as a Tory MLA from Calgary.

“I ought not to have thrown the Liberal health policy at our page Jennifer, and to Jennifer, I apologize most sincerely. … And I also apologize for referring to the document as crap, Mr. Speaker.” — Klein apologizes in the Alberta legislature in 2006 after throwing a Liberal Party health policy booklet that narrowly misses hitting a legislature page.

“Dinosaur farts.” — In 2002, Klein offers an opinion on what may have brought about the Ice Age.

“I’m going to try and stay clean as long as I can, but if from time to time I have a glass of wine, don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.” — Klein comments after a 2001 incident where he showed up drunk at an Edmonton homeless shelter, berated some residents for not having jobs before throwing money on the floor.

“I do know I have a problem and I’m going to deal with it.”

“I am going to go as long as I possible can and hopefully end this journey without having another drink … One day at a time.” -- Comments from Klein on his past drinking.

“That will be my next challenge.” — Klein on quitting smoking

 

Nov
16

The action reaction formula for sales success

By | Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Spirits, Success

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You know as well as I do… success is ALL about momentum.

Sometimes it is forward momentum, sometimes it is backwards.

Anyone that claims to win them every time is full of bs.

The best of the best in the sales business, in the marketing business, heck, in ANY business…. fail far more times than they succeed in their journey.

That means making 300% more calls than you think you should make.

…Or testing 4 times as many advertising campaigns as you had originally budgeted for.

…Or investing 2 or 3 times as long in that book project you are launching (like one of my own that was due for release by mid-year…but is JUST NOW hitting the printers!)

Success in every industry is about failing yourself forward as FAST as possible.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Last week I failed on an email to you
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

I admit it.

The email I sent did not go over well with some of you.

It wasn’t what you were used to from me…

…and I apologize.

If you didn’t see it, let me recap the gist of it (gasp! you aren’t reading EVERY email I send? curses. and kidding, by the way)

For over 5 years now I have been writing private articles for a wonderful marketer in Canada named Dave Dubeau. He has a private membership program called Canadian Profits.

Each month there is 8 or more different authors and experts that contribute their best material for growing your business.

I am fortunate to be one of his longest writers (not the longest – but close).

I have also contributed a chapter to his book Money Making Marketing for Canadians.

When I sent the email last week I should have been more clear on what this is – and what it is not.

…If you are an entrepreneur that invests in your education…
Dave’s program is for you.

…If you are an entrepreneur in Canada…
this is for you.

…If you are an entrepreneur in the US (or pretty well anywhere outside
of Canada)… the marketing principles in here will help you attract new
leads and expand your business.

= = = = = =
This is NOT:
= = = = = =

… a get rick quick pitch

… another thing you throw on your shelf without reading.

This is a very powerful monthly education that is delivered to your door.

And you get the book for FREE when you try out the Canadian Profits membership for a $4.95 trial (2 months delivered to your door for $4.95 – and $2 of that goes to charity!)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Why should you give this a try?
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

I think the best example of why you should be paying attention to Dave and his wonderful contributing writers (ahem…like me :) is this…

Dave approached Canada’s ‘Rich Dad’ with an idea quite a few years ago.

It was a simple idea.

But it had never been done in this person’a business.

Darren Weeks, Canada’s Rich Dad, agreed to give it a go.

3 short years later they QUADRUPLED the database

…and went to $100 million in sales!

They are now Canada’s 40th Fastest Growing Company.

Dave knows his stuff – and I highly recommend you give this a 2 month trial.

http://www.entrepreneurprofit.com

I hope this clears up any confusion I caused last week… it is well worth the whopping $4.95 investment (a super-duper-mochs-frapa-chino at Starbucks is more than that for goodness sakes!)

Have a look at what you get, try it out, and you tell me if this is not one of the best resources you have for building your business!

Try it and if it isn’t what I say I will personally give you back your $4.95…

…fair?

Here ya go http://www.entrepreneurprofit.com

To your success.

Troy

PS: There are also more steps in the action reaction formula which you should be studying. I put them up at
http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/the-action-reaction-success-formula/

Oct
24

Are you an information hoarder?

By | Copywriting, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Spirits, Success

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The first step is admitting it….

…my name is Troy White and I AM an information hoarder.

Love my books and binders and course material.

Boxes of swipe material (successful advertisements, sales letters and promotions)

Far too much of it.

But parting with it is extremely painful.

I might re-read that or need that someday….. soon.

Which happens.

But the more I hoard, the tougher it becomes to go back to that book I wanted to read again.

Does it sound like you?

Do what I do then.

I keep an area where my best, most cherished books are (looking up right now I see some classic copywriting books, psycho-cybernetics, full and not-cracked-open yet notebooks, and an ancient set of yellow pages (must throw that out right now…done).

Those are my most precious ones that I would never part with.

The others I would still protect as if a child, but many of them I am less passionate about.

Rejoice if you are a reader and information hoarder though!

As long as you are reading what you are hoarding.

I make it a point to review at least a few of my favourites a year… one of my personal ways to lock in the best of the best information I find.

You should too.

Some of my favourites that I love to review year after year:

* Robert Collier Letter book (you ad geeks out there know why)
* Advertising Secrets of the Written Word
* Magic Words
* Psycho-cybernetics
* No BS Wealth Attraction (and No BS Time Management)

…and then we could get to my hoarding of audio mp3s of courses I love. Those are alternated on my iPhone for when I am out walking the dog every day.

I do hope you love learning.

…and I do hope you re-listen/re-read your favourites…there is a real joy that comes with finding something new in something you have been through 6 times before.

Back to cleaning, purging, and getting majorly distracted in the process.

Troy

PS: The 2012 Cash Flow Calendar is just off the printing press – watch for it! That is how you turn information into cash!

“cherish a few books only, and those few chosen not for their fame in the world but wholly for the pleasure that they give you” ~C.E. Montague, A Writer’s Notes on his Trade, Pelican Books 1930

Oct
21

4 bitchy birds

By | Success

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The other day I was walking from my office to my house and heard a huge commotion going on next to me. I looked over and there were 4 little chickadees in an all-out brawl.

They were chirping and a chapping.

They were flapping their wings and pecking at each other.

From what I could tell it was all 4 of them battling each other.

They were completely oblivious that I was right next to them watching this whole brouhaha unfold. They went at it for a couple minutes, every once in a while one would try and fly up and away – one of the other grumps would chase them up in the air – scrap with them mid-air, then end up back in the bush they started in.

It was fascinating to me.

All said and done they either came to an agreement or called the scrap a draw. They ended it and each went their own way.

Mother nature provides us all ample gifts to admire and be grateful for. Sometimes we stop, pay attention, and learn from her offerings. Other times we walk on right past it without even a clue that something just unfolded before our eyes.

This bird brawl may not mean much on the surface, but I saw it, I watched with intent acuity, and noted the lesson I took away from it.

In my case, it was a dispute I was going through and I saw something happen there that showed me the lesson I needed to learn.

If you were watching it with me, your lesson may have been different.

Most would miss it altogether though…sadly.

Pay attention out there – the greatest business lessons come from the least likely of places.

Mine was in a group of 4 bithcy birds – where will yours be?

Troy

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